Sweetwater Fishing Forums

Haven't been doing much in the fresh but the last coupla days been doing some pest control in the form of Tilapia,Myself and good mate Pete have knocked a few on the head and will keep doing it when we can there bloody thousands of them in the lake out near Burrum heads Getting them on fly and spin good fun but not for them C:-)Any way here's a few pics they are pretty fish but soooo bad for the environment :'( and it just goes to show what an idiot with a fish tank they no longer want can do.

What seems to be working the best on them? Fly, lure, franger? Type, style, color, retrieve, I'm sure alot of folks would like to get a tip on catching these vermin on artificials on a more consistent basis, me included.

Too right Fitz I'd love to rip a few out of the local waters with my #4 weight so Paul what flies are working for you ? I've caught them in Singapore using Pearl/White Gotchas and Tan/White bead chain Clousers so this would be my first choice. I do the landscape maintenance on the Gateway Motorway (north side of bridge) and every puddle has Tilapia in it with one spot a guarenteed school will be in the shallows every time we drive past. I may have to sneak the fly rod into the ute one day and have a fish after work. Cheers Pat.

Hi guys sorry for the late reply but been busy working,Small bait fish patterns I've had a few hookups on a black zonka strip tied over a bit of mylar tubing in the belly and mate pete has been getting a few on a small cone head fly with a natural zonka tied in for the bak and a bit of flash in the belly,

I don't think it's all that important as long as it's a baitfish profile that they are eating in the waters they live in also getting a few on poppers and micro mullets,there's frigen thousands of them in this particular lake near Burrum heads.

Did some more Piscatorial pest control this afternoon with good mate Pete,his lil cone head fly is working a treat on them we got 4 of the bastards on 4 and 5 wt fly rods[great fun that sh!t] and I get to kill the bastards C:-) and I don't normally kill fish C:-) and one was taken on a popper on my spin rod :Hunting),we are sight casting to schools that are finning around on the surface,there must be millions of these fish in this particular lake :Hunting)

Awesome stuff Paul solid looking fish too ! Is the bead head fly a chenille/dubbing body with a marabou tail like a fuzzle bugger ? Great photos perticularly the last two. I may give these a go in a couple of different colours. Cheers Pat.

Thanks 4weight it's good fun but I'm finding they are a very clever fish,went back yeasterday arvo and couldn't get them to eat nor could Pete and we were putting the fly right in front of them :o,I did hook 2 on the fly but only briefly and that was when the fly was just sitting sinking slowly while I tried to spot other cruisers, but the funny part was I got 3 on a popper on spin byt 2 of them were hooked in the side of the head and this tells me they were looking but not intending on eating and the one smaller fish was hooked in the mouth but there's 3 more dead ones now :youbeauty.

Met an older guy out there who's house in right on the lake and he took them for fertiliser and said I could dump all the ones I catch over his fence and he'll use them so they are going to a good cause :youbeauty and I don't have to cart the stinking things in my car :thumbsup.

Here's a pic of the fly Pete ties up he got this pattern from a guy in the States he was talking to over on of the fly forums and they have good success on them over there and they are working here.

Pest controlling is not easy until you find simple methods that donít harm health. I also had bed bugs in my apartment and wanted to kill them on my own. Searched online and found DIY heat treatment for bed bugs (http://helpfulforhomes.com/). It was way too easy and effective.

There are plenty of tilapia in north pine dam and have been for many years. Can understand the authorities having concerns about keeping fish in possession for the table which is a pity as they are not bad to eat if prepared properly. Used to eat them years ago before restrictions were applied and i think nothing short of a miracle will get rid of them now. Many years ago tilapia fishing comps were staged at the dam for a couple of years running and it showed just how many fish were there and in good sizes too. Hopefully biological controls will work on these fish but until then perhaps keen fishos could be allowed to take some for the table as they are a recognized food fish in many places overseas.